


Home

by Nival_Vixen



Category: I Am Not Okay with This (TV 2020)
Genre: Bisexual Dina (I Am Not Okay with This), Brother-Sister Relationships, Canon-Typical Violence, Coming of Age, Complete, Diary/Journal, Dina is a Badass, Drama & Romance, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Friendship, High School, Kidnapping, Lesbian Sydney Novak, Male-Female Friendship, Peanut Butter, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Protectiveness, Spoilers, Superpowers, Threats of Violence, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:40:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25589209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nival_Vixen/pseuds/Nival_Vixen
Summary: Sydney isn't alone anymore. Dina and Stanley are with her and together, they're going to figure all this out.If Shadow doesn't kidnap her first.
Relationships: Dina/Sydney Novak
Comments: 12
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This picks up directly where season 1 ended.  
> Yes, there will be spoilers.

"He said it would be mind blowing," Ricky said, a hint of hysteria creeping past his shock.

His body had stopped trembling, and even though he'd puked up all of the beer and punch he'd drunk, Ricky's stomach still rolled and churned every time he pictured Brad's mind literally blowing.

The cop paused, finally relieved at a new detail beyond the mass hysteria and terror from the gathered teenagers. "Who did?"

Ricky blinked, slow and his trembling starting again. "Brad. He said it was going to be mind blowing. I thought... I didn't think he meant _literally_ ," he said, hysteria escaping in a giggle that turned to an outright sob.

Stan had Syd's diary tucked into his jacket, the lapels closed tightly and arms wrapped around his middle. He was trying to hold the diary in a way that made him look natural and felt like he was failing. Fortunately, he wasn't the worst out of the teens traumatised by homecoming and didn't look out of place, a blanket wrapped around his thin shoulders.

Stan had heard Ricky's comment, as did several others, and someone took up the thread. Within a matter of minutes, whispers were spreading of Brad trying to get his revenge on the rest of the school for the gonorrhoea rumours, and the cherry bomb he'd planned to kill all of them with exploding his head instead. It seemed the players never learned their lesson about assumptions and rumours, but in this case, it worked in his favour, so Stan didn't give a shit about correcting the falsehood. He just wanted to leave and go find Syd. He had some idea of where she'd go, especially in a place like Brownsville with shit-all open on the night of homecoming.

A hand landed on his shoulder and Stan spun abruptly, a cry halfway in his throat. He thankfully clamped his mouth shut before it escaped, and no one noticed Stanley fucking Barber almost drop a blood-stained diary out of his jacket.

Dina's eyes were wide and her hands were stained with more blood than the diary, though not as much as the gym floor, but she was no longer screaming. She gripped Stan's shoulder to stop him from making too much movement. "We need to leave. We have to find Syd."

Stan just nodded. He followed Dina out of the school gym in slow increments, every footstep making him feel the same dread he felt every time his father was home. If anyone tried to touch him right then, he'd probably scream.

"She's up on the water tower. It's the closest place to the school to hide, especially without a car," Stan said, his tone confident, even as his hands shook as he led Dina towards his car.

Dina nodded and grabbed his shaking hand, squeezing tight. "We're going to find Sydney and bring her back, okay?"

Stan wondered how she felt so confident when the world was crumbling around them. Still, he had to believe they could do this. For Sydney. "Okay."

...

"Should I be afraid?" Sydney asked, eyes wide and covered in so much blood so could taste it.

(Dear Diary, I'm covered in the blood of my almost girlfriend's ex-boyfriend's exploded stupid head. It's gross; I don't want Brad fucking Lewis inside me, even as blood.)

"No, they should be," the literal shadowy figure replied. "Let's get started."

Syd blinked. "Wait, that's it? That's really it?"

"You want control, don't you? Revenge on the people who hurt you," Shadow replied, as if stating a simple fact.

Syd laughed, a harsh barking sound that felt rough in her throat. "In case you can't see with that shadow shit, I already got revenge! I'm _covered_ in fucking revenge!"

Shadow didn't reply, as if the stoic thing was still impressive.

Sydney was covered in blood, she was freezing in this goddamn dress, and she needed to puke like yesterday, but she sure as fuck wasn't impressed. "Leave me the fuck alone."

"Do you want to know about your father? His power? The power he's passed to you? To Liam?"

Sydney froze at her brother's name. "What?"

She couldn't see Shadow, but she could practically feel that smug smile from two whole metres away. _Hell, astronauts could probably see it from space_.

"What do you think Liam's going to do when his powers manifest? You need control to teach him control," Shadow said, firm and confident that she couldn't argue his logic now.

Sydney licked her lips.

(Copper and salt; oh, blood. _Ewww_. I have to get checked for blood-transmitted diseases, Diary.)

"How do you know he'll get... this?" Syd asked, gesturing to herself.

Shadow paused long enough for Sydney to realise he didn't know if Liam would get it. If he didn't know, then that meant he might not get it, and she didn't have to leave with someone who had literally stalked her.

"Fuck off."

"You need me, Sydney Novak."

Trying to tell herself that anyone with a decent Internet connection could probably find out her full name, it didn't matter if they could turn into smoke as well, Sydney swallowed down her fear and more blood.

Light spilled out from the trees, a familiar horn blasting loudly in a rhythm that could only be familiar to someone who listened to Bloodwitch. There was only person in the whole world who listened to Bloodwitch, and he was leaning out of a mustard-yellow Datsun screaming her name louder than the horn. Despite that, Stanley's voice could have been easy to ignore, if not for the second voice that joined his: _Dina_.

Sydney's heart leapt into her throat and she looked away from Shadow, over the edge of the water tower to see Dina - still covered in as much blood as she was - and calling out for her, almost desperately.

Looking across the wooden platform, Sydney wasn't surprised to see Shadow gone.

(Dear Diary, my stalker is a goddamn drama queen.)

...

"Don't you dare jump, Sydney Novak!" Dina called out, tempted to stomp her way up the stairs and prove just how angry and terrified she was, but the structure creaked under her feet without any help, so she didn't want to risk the thing collapsing beneath her.

Sydney snorted and as Dina rounded the corner of the landing, she saw her best friend sitting against the corner of the railing, legs splayed as much as her dress allowed, eyes wide and covered in drying blood.

Stanley ran up the stairs behind Dina, stopping with a skid, hands grabbing onto the railing with familiarity and more confidence in the structure than Dina felt. "You 'kay, Syd?"

Syd eyes widened further, a mocking bastard grin on her face. "Peachy, Stanley."

He groaned and slumped down onto the planks. "I've been terrified you got caught by the cops or jumped or something. What the fuck, Syd?"

"Hey, that's what I'm meant to say," Dina said, turning to glare at Sydney. "What the fuck, Syd?"

She looked between them, bewildered and confused, as though their friendship through theft and trauma was unexpected. "Do you have any weed, Stan?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course. I'm not smoking it while you're both looking like Carrie rejects."

Sydney looked at Dina properly, wincing when she saw her best friend covered in blood. "I'm... I'm sorry, Dina. I ruined your dress."

"Brad blew his own head up," Dina said firmly.

If that's what the rest of the school believed, then that's what they'd say, too. There was no way she was going to prison for slipping up on a story as simple as that.

"Uh... pretty sure that's not possible. You faint before you can asphyxiate yourself, so blowing up your own head... what are you talking about?" Syd asked, confused when Stan and Dina both looked at her.

"Brad told Ricky that tonight was going to be 'mind blowing' and the players are taking it literally. It works for you. Oh, and a belated present. Pretend it's a corsage, or whatever," Stan said, taking the diary out of his jacket and sliding it across the floorboards, the mermaid cat cover bright and even more ridiculous after everything that had happened.

Dina giggled, the sound escaping, tears forming as she saw the mermaid cat. She'd been too shocked and pissed at Brad to really notice it before... before. It was a stupid thing to be giggling at, but she couldn't stop the noise, couldn't even lift her hands, and as her adrenaline faded, she sank to her knees and sobbed into her hands.

"Ah, fuck. Don't cry. Go back to giggling, at least," Stanley said, voice thick with his own tears.

Sydney crawled over and wrapped her arms around Dina gently, carefully, as though she expected everyone she loved to hate her. God, Dina had wished that Brad would die when he said that, and then he had by his goddamn head exploding, and she'd had some fleeting thought of 'what have I done?' but it wasn't her, it was her best friend, and... she couldn't think about it, if she did, she'd throw up again.

Dina sobbed and Stanley cried and through it all, Sydney didn't get a single tear.

(Dear Diary, is it sick that I'm enjoying comforting Dina after exploding her bastard ex-boyfriend's head?

Don't answer that, Diary.)

Dina stopped sobbing eventually, Stanley dried his red puffy eyes, and Sydney told them everything. Even the thigh zits.

"Gross," Dina said through a sniffle, grinning when Sydney laughed.

"I know, right? Anyway, that thing in the library? Someone was stalking me or wanted me to follow him, I'm not sure on which. Well, I wasn't then, I am now."

"Huh?" Stanley asked with a frown; this was news to him.

He didn't feel great hearing how the girl he'd given his virginity to was in love with someone else, but Sydney looked so comfortable with Dina in a way she hadn't with anyone else, not even him. He wasn't going to make a scene about that; taking Mercedes to the dance had already proven that point. He was young and would find someone who loved him. Definitely someone outside of Brownsville, maybe in college. Hell, while he was dreaming, maybe they'd listen to Bloodwitch, too.

"Shadow followed me here. He disappeared when you two showed up. I don't know if it was Bloodwitch or the car," Sydney said with a giggle, hysteria starting now that her adrenaline was fading.

"You recognised it? That's my favourite song," Stan said brightly.

"That was a song?" Dina asked incredulously.

"Of course! Bloodwitch is one of the greatest and underappreciated bands in our lifetime. They're releasing a new song soon; we should all listen to it together. We can get snacks and - "

"He said my brother's name."

Dina and Stan both fell silent at Sydney's whispered words.

"He said Liam's going to get these powers, too. I can't let Goob go through this alone. Not like me."

"Hey. You're not alone, okay? Not anymore," Dina said firmly, hugging Sydney so tight that she couldn't breathe for a second.

(Dear Diary, not being alone is... nice.)

"Yeah. Whatever happens, we're both here for you. I'll drive you both home. Your folks are probably freaking out. My dad's just going to be pissed someone else punched me."

Dina frowned even as she stood and they both helped Sydney up. "We're having a sleepover at mine. How long until your dad leaves again?"

"Two more days. I can't hide at other people's places forever."

"You can for two days," Dina said firmly. "Also, we can't go to my house looking like this. My parents will kill me," she said with a wince, looking at the blood on her hands.

Sydney grabbed one of her hands and squeezed gently. "Sorry."

Dina smiled and swallowed hard, wincing at the taste of blood. "Brad blew his own head up."

She nodded. "Right."

"When we're both clean, we'll finish that talk we were having," Dina added, squeezing her hand.

Sydney's eyes widened as she realised what they'd been talking about: _the kiss_.

(Dear Diary, maybe tonight wasn't the worst night ever.)

...

End of the first chapter.

Hope you liked it!


	2. Chapter 2

The water tower had enough water left in it to clean themselves up and they spent the next hour getting high as a kite, Syd's mind blissfully blank of worry or terror.

It started to mutate though, the weed not enough to block out worry for her brother or terror that the police would find out it was her that had killed Brad -

_ He blew up his own head, he blew up his own head, he blew up his own head. _

_ If she said it enough, it might be true. _

\- and she'd be taken away by nameless government agencies and faceless people and they'd experiment on her. She'd never see Liam again. Or Dina. Or even Stanley. Or her mum.

The last one felt like an afterthought, but Sydney thought they were getting better. She didn't always feel hated, not since she'd found the dog tags. She clutched them now, the metal warm against her palm, and she wondered if her father had ever grabbed them and tried not to explode everyone around him. Even though, in the end, he was the only one left.

"I need to go home. My parents are probably freaking out," Dina admitted, words slow and hazy through a foggy mind and cotton candy filled ears.

(Dear Diary, Stan and I don't know how it feels to have parents that love us unconditionally. Dina does. I think that's why she can love someone like me and someone like Brad. She knows how to love without conditions. It must be nice.)

"Everyone probably went to the diner so your mum's probably heard what happened. Do you have your phone?" Dina asked Sydney.

"Uh... no. Left it at the gym."

_ The gym where she'd blown up Brad Lewis' head like an overripe tomato. _

_ He blew up his own head, he blew up his own head, he blew up his own head. _

"I'll drive," Stan announced, standing and looking oddly clear-eyed. "Hey, Syd? Can you kill my dad?"

"No."

Stan's eye was still bruised, the cut healing but not closed, and Sydney tried to breathe through the impending panic attack. Ringing started in her ears as she thought of Banana the hedgehog and Brad's blood nose and Brad's head exploding.

The water tower creaked ominously around them. The last thing they needed was to flood the town. Even if the shitty thing probably didn't have enough water to reach the forest below.

"Jesus Christ, Stan! Hey, Syd. C'mon, look at me, babe."

Dina's voice caught on the  _ babe  _ but she said it all the same and Syd stared, forgetting how to breathe for a moment. She gasped for air a second later, clutching Dina's hands. The ringing faded and she gulped down oxygen, the buzz from the weed long gone. Dina wrapped her arms around Syd and pressed a kiss to her hair, even though there was still blood in it, and guided her to her feet.

"Sleepover at mine. Both of you, though you're on the couch, Stan," Dina said.

He couldn't hide his relief at not going back to his father's and nodded. "The couch is great. I can sleep anywhere."

"And you're calling your mother and Liam to let them know you're okay. It doesn't have to be more than that. You're okay and you're staying at mine, okay?" Dina said to Syd.

Sydney couldn't help but grin, remembering Liam's last words about being home by eight and having fun. He'd looked like Dad when he grinned, puzzle pieces strewn around him, and she'd only had a fear of dancing then. Now she was terrified she was going to prison for killing a guy via head explosion.  _ Was it too late to throw up? _

"Goob's never going to believe what happened," she said, even as they headed down to Stan's car.

A new fear gripped her.  _ Shadow knew Liam's name; what if he took Liam? _

Stomach churning and terror turning her veins to ice, Syd stopped and puked over the railing.

(Dear Diary, if Shadow hurts Liam, I'll fucking kill him with my bare hands.)

...

Dina's parents were worried and glad they were safe. They hugged Dina for a full two minutes each. Then they hugged Syd and even Stan got a hug. Sydney wondered if he'd ever been hugged by a parental figure before, because the guy looked touch starved and had no idea what to do with his hands, his eyes wide in a freaking out way that looked sweeter than it sounded.

Dina led Sydney up to her room so she could call her mother and Liam. They were relieved to hear her voice, even her mother, and glad that she was somewhere safe. Liam wanted a full play by play of what had happened prior to the bloodied finale, but Syd glanced over to Dina and remembered how it had felt dancing with her.

"I'll tell you later, Goob. 'Night, love you."

"Love you, too."

Sydney handed Dina her phone back and silence stretched between them. Syd didn't know if it was an awkward silence or if she just felt awkward.

"I need to have, like, three showers. Come with me?" Dina asked.

(What?)

"What?"

"I don't want to be alone right now. Bring the diary," Dina added, turning to her wardrobe to find clothes for all of them.

Leaving a pair of pyjama pants and pink shirt for Stanley, Dina grabbed her things and Sydney couldn't help but follow. Stan had finally stopped hugging Mr. and Mrs. Bryant, and was coming up the stairs. Dina directed him to her room, then said where the bathroom was and for him to join them when he was ready. Stan's eyebrows rose into his hair.

"It's not for sex, Stan. I just don't want to be alone, and I doubt you do, either."

(Oh.)

Dina rolled her eyes and went into the bathroom, Sydney following and trying to squish the hope in her chest. Dina might have not hated their kiss, but that meant nothing now that Sydney had blown up Brad's head with her mind.

The bathroom door closed behind them, Dina put a towel on the toilet seat and nodded for Syd to sit down. "You don't mind having a shower after me, do you?"

Syd mutely shook her head.

"I'm going to have to burn this dress," Dina muttered, as though that was the only thing she could focus on without breaking apart. "Undo the back for me?"

Sydney's hands trembled as she slid the zip down. She couldn't think, let alone breathe, and not even Diary was going to find out about this.

Dina slipped the dress down her body and thighs. Sydney's cheeks turned red and she had a sudden craving for peanut butter. Forcing herself to look at something other than Dina's body, covered in nothing but sheer panties, Sydney looked at the cat mermaid cover. She wondered how it breathed and why it would be under water. Didn't cats hate water? Was it a cat on land and a cat mermaid in water?

The sound of water running had Sydney looking up just in time to see the shower curtain close. Panties and a stick-on bra was sitting in the same pile as Dina's dress, and Syd quietly mourned their loss. Dina looked amazing in her dress.  _ Had she told her that? _

"Read to me?" Dina asked.

"What?"

The shower curtain opened enough for Dina to look out. Water ran down her face and smeared her makeup; Syd hoped it was just water and not tears. "Read to me. The bits Stan knows and I don't. The parts where... where you love me," Dina said.

_ She loves Dina, it's pathetic. _

Syd's fingers clutched the cover tightly, and her heart sped up.

"I think I fell in love with you when I saw you coming down the stairs in that dress and makeup for me," Dina said, her voice soft. "I just saw you and knew."

Sydney opened her diary. " _ Dear diary. Go fuck yourself _ ."

Dina laughed and closed the shower curtain again, listening to Syd's worries and fears and realisations. She knew a lot was skipped over as she heard pages turning, and some of it had to be glossed over and sugar coated, but the important parts were there.

She listened intently as Sydney detailed the night of Ricky's party. The fight she'd had with Brad felt like years ago, his hand on her wrist still felt like it was wrapped around her like a vice. The feel of Sydney's lips pressing against hers, the sudden fear and shame that they were drunk and she wanted to be sober. She had desperately wanted to be sober when making out with her best friend, and she hadn't stopped thinking about the kiss since. Instead Brad had found her and they'd made up.

Sydney had had a different night, knocking down several trees in her frustration and disappointment and shame. Dina had seen those trees on the way home, roots torn out of the ground, and had wondered what storm had been powerful enough to dislodge the trees from the earth.

Sydney stopped talking for a moment, glancing at the shower curtain.

(Dear Diary, she knows everything about that night now. Does she hate me? Is it shock? There's too much silence, I need - )

"Keep going. I'm almost done."

Syd let out the breath she'd been holding, and returned her attention to the diary.

Dina listened and scrubbed her body, face, and hair five times over. She cleaned herself until she felt clean, no hint of blood or smell of copper. When Syd turned the next few pages, Dina turned off the water and reached out for her towel. Fingers brushed hers, and Dina felt disappointment in her chest when Syd let go of the towel a moment later.

She wrapped her towel around her body and stepped out of the shower, trying not to blush at the sight of Syd's eyes so wide. Dina wondered what expression she'd make if she dropped the towel or if she kissed her. But... but there was still blood on Syd and she couldn't bring herself to close the distance between them. Not yet.

"I'll wait while you shower, okay? I promise I won't read it," Dina said, nodding to the cat mermaid diary held limply in Syd's hands.

Syd looked down at the diary as if she'd forgotten it was there, but nodded her thanks, set it down on the bathroom bench, and stepped into the shower fully clothed.

(Dear Diary, I need peanut butter.)

...

End of the second chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

When Syd stepped out of the shower, clean and scrubbed just as many times as Dina, she wondered if Stan had gotten lost on the way to the bathroom. Dina had goosebumps on her skin, despite the steam in the bathroom, and Syd hurried to grab the diary and open the door. Stan almost fell backwards, catching himself on the door frame, and tilted his head back to look at them both.

"Hey. Your parents let me use their shower since you two were taking forever. And loaned me pyjamas, which was seriously nice of them, though your dad's fashion style leaves something to be desired. Are all normal parents like that?" Stan asked curiously, even as he stood up in a flurry of limbs.

Syd snorted, but hey, she couldn't answer the question so she just shrugged.

Dina wanted to defend her father, but she saw the pyjamas that Stan had been loaned - a pyjama shirt with yellow and red stripes with pyjamas bottoms covered in purple and yellow polka dots - and she could only laugh. She supposed it was better than her pink pyjamas though she doubted Stanley Barber cared about a colour like that.

"Come on; we've gotta get dressed. You're freezing, Dina," Syd said, grabbing her hand and tugging gently to guide her to her bedroom.

"I'll wait outside the door," Stan offered with a flourish and bow.

Dina couldn't believe Syd had actually had sex with him, but he was also kinda sweet in a way.  _ Who was she to judge, anyway? Her ex-boyfriend had exploded his own head, after all. _

She watched in amusement as Syd dug through her drawers and wardrobe, putting together the most ridiculous outfit she could consisting of fluffy green socks, thick blue sweats, an old camisole with Pikachu covering it, and a burgundy jumper she thought her mother had thrown out on the last spring cleaning.

"There you go. Your outfit for the night, if you choose to accept it," Syd said with a grin.

"I thought it was for you," Dina said incredulously.

"Nope, it's yours. You choose my dress, I choose... whatever this all is. You're still covered in goosebumps," Syd added, her grin fading as she nodded to Dina's arms.

_ Oh _ . Dina placed a hand on her arm and realised she was actually freezing. The outfit didn't sound as ridiculous now, and she pulled the clothes on without protest. Or underwear.

By the time Dina had finished changing, Syd's cheeks were red and her eyes were bright. "You okay, Syd?"

"You... how is it you look beautiful, even in all that?" Syd breathed, sounding both awed and annoyed.

Dina shrugged, her jumper slipped down her shoulder, and Syd couldn't look away.

(Dear Diary, I'm in love with my best friend who's so gorgeous that I'm terrified.)

"I'm choosing yours," Dina said, a grin forming, the first genuine one since... She didn't want to think about it, so instead, Dina focused on putting together the most ridiculous outfit she could for Syd: Bulbasaur pyjama pants, a green camisole that was too small for Dina now but she couldn't bear to give away, and a cable knit mint green jumper that her grandmother had made and Dina hated but wasn't allowed to give away.

"You'd look amazing in a trash bag, and I'm going to look like diet Oscar the Grouch," Syd muttered, even as she turned around to change into the green monstrosity.

Dina wanted to laugh but the noise died in her throat. "You... you look good, Syd."

Syd's eyebrows raised and she looked down at herself. "Are we looking at the same thing here?"

"Yes."

(Dear Diary, how can one word have so much heat in it?)

Syd looked up at Dina, surprised to see the desire in her eyes. It was like the dance, like Dina saying she didn't not like their kiss, and she licked her lips, surprised when Dina's eyes dropped to her mouth like a magnet.

(Dear Diary, if I'm wrong about this, I'm going to find a way to make the ground swallow me whole.)

Syd stepped forward, Dina stepped forward, and there was no hesitation between them as they finally kissed. Dina's mouth was as soft and perfect as she remembered, their bodies pressed together in a way that they hadn't been at the party, and Syd...

(Dear Diary, I can feel Dina's boobs. I never understood why guys liked them so much, but I get it now, Diary.)

"Um, guys? Can you let me in? It's cold out here," Stan said, knocking on the door gently.

Dina pressed another soft kiss to Syd's mouth before they pulled away entirely, and she felt... happy. Her eyes widened when she saw the things floating around them. It was a mess of clothes in the air, her lamp, clock, school bag, shoes. Everything was actually physically floating in mid-air. Including her and Syd.

"Syd? Let us down, babe," she said, cupping Syd's cheek.

Syd's eyes flew open at her words and everything fell to the ground abruptly. Dina let out a small groan and Syd's heart hammered in her chest at the sound.  _ She'd hurt Dina already. She hadn't meant to! She just wanted - _

"Hey, I'm okay. Just landed on my ass," Dina said, wrinkling her cute nose and tugging Syd against her to kiss her again. "Come in, Stan," she called over her shoulder, trying to be mindful of the fact that her parents had gone to bed.

Syd trembled in Dina's arms, and she tried not to pull away.  _ She'd hurt Dina. It was a sore ass now, but what would it be later? What if she couldn't control it? What if - _

"We'll work on your control, Syd. Together, okay?" Dina asked.

"I tried to get her to do that. Almost got hit with two bowling balls. It was awesome," Stan said, grinning so wide his bruised eye ached.

Syd pushed away from Dina to glare at Stan. "You almost got killed, you mean! I almost killed you!" she hissed, Dina's wooden bed frame starting to creak.

"You didn't. And honestly, a bowling ball is just as dangerous as my old man after a six-pack of beer. Which is, y'know, every month he comes home," Stan said, shrugging.

"Hey. Stop it, both of you. We need to sleep and breaking my bed isn't going to help things. Go scream out the window if you need to let it out, babe," Dina said, rubbing gentle circles on Syd's back.

(Dear Diary, I hate that she calls me babe. She called Brad babe.)

"Don't call me  _ babe _ . That's what you called  _ him _ ," Syd ground out, the bed still creaking.

"All right, Syd. We'll work on pet names later, when Stan's gone," Dina said, her voice calm and tearing through the ringing and pounding in Syd's head.

Screaming out the window actually sounded like a better idea than destroying Dina's room. The bed creaked again as Syd stood and stumbled over to the window. She threw it open, a scream emitting and the ringing noise fading. A giant crack in the road appeared, like a gigantic pickaxe had torn up the street, and Syd's eyes widened as she shut the window abruptly, snapping the curtains closed.

"Feel better?" Dina asked, standing behind Syd and wrapping her arms around her body.

Syd leaned into her embrace like it was holding her together, Dina's breath against her neck and her arms around her body.

"Group hug or not?" Stan asked, grinning broadly and splaying his arms wide when they both looked at him. "Not, got it."

"Who wants to build a fort and watch Disney 'til we crash?" Dina suggested.

"I'm up for that," Stan said, then his expression turned serious. "But we can't do Dumbo. I will have a panic attack, and weed makes it worse. Just... trust me, it's fucked up."

"Elephant parade?" Syd asked with a full-body shudder when Stan nodded in response.

"I've never seen Dumbo, but I think I might skip it, if that's the reaction from both of you," Dina said in concern, turning on her TV.

"You're not missing... ooh, Ferngully! Screw Disney, I want Robin Williams and Tim Curry," Stan said eagerly.

Syd snorted a laugh. "Dork."

"Shut up or I'm not sharing my weed."

"Maybe we should keep the window open; my parents would freak if they smelled weed," Dina admitted.

Stan stood and opened the window, wincing at the state of the road. His expression was neutral by the time he looked back at Sydney and Dina. "Do you have snacks?"

"Sure. I'll go with you. Syd, you can set up the blanket fort, right?" Dina asked, pressing a kiss to her cheek and leaving Syd stunned.

(Dear Diary, what the fuck do I do now?)

Syd had built plenty of blanket forts, but it was usually for Goob's benefit, not hers. Liam would circle around her construction, pointing out weak spots and criticise with all the seriousness of an architect. He'd shut up with enough food and movies, though, and Syd smiled at the memories as she set up a blanket fort stretching from Dina's bed to her wardrobe, shoving pillows and blankets in the space and hoping it would be enough.

Stan and Dina returned with armfuls of snacks, and it felt like the way homecoming should have ended: with food and friends... and weed, apparently.

They fell asleep at ass o'clock, sometime during one of the most serious conversations Syd had ever had about Tim Curry's career. Stan was curled around a pillow with half of the fort collapsed on him, and Syd fell asleep tucked against Dina's chest with an arm around her body. She felt safe and sane, neither of which she'd felt since her father had killed himself, and even as Syd dozed off, she wanted to thank Dina for everything. Trying to kiss her didn't work with her mind so fuzzy and foggy, but Syd concentrated on the distant ringing in her mind, pulling a blanket to cover them both, and then promptly fell asleep.

...

Being woken up in the morning by Dina's parents was not fun, mostly because they started their greeting with four words Syd never wanted to hear again:

_ The police are here. _

...

End of the third chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

"And you ran from the school, because?"

"Because Brad's head had exploded in front of us. It was terrifying, so we bolted."

Syd wanted to kiss Dina in thanks all over again. She was answering the questions like she knew the answers and wasn't going to get them imprisoned. Stan didn't have a great relationship with the police - everyone knew what his father did, but no one stopped him, even when a brave eight year old attempted to tell the policeman while his bruised eye was swollen closed; not to mention the "business" he was currently running - and it was all he could do to not glare at the two men across from them.

Syd was terrified of saying the wrong thing, so she forced herself to not say anything. It was harder than she expected. The police officers were letting silence stretch between them like a slinky, waiting for one of them to snap and fill the silence with their confession.

"All of the kids reported Brad targeting you two in his tirade," one of the officers said, nodding at Dina and Syd, his gaze flicking pointedly to where they were holding hands between them.

"Yeah, 'cause he's a homophobic prick who couldn't handle his ex-girlfriend falling in love with another girl, unless it was for porn, of course. Next question?" Dina said firmly, looking between them.

(Dear Diary, I think I'm still high. Dina just said she loved me. Didn't she?)

"Don't leave town. We'll need to talk to you at the station when we've finished interviewing the rest of the school."

"Of course."

Syd held onto Dina's hand tighter as the police officers stood to leave.

"Do any of you know what happened to the street?"

(Fuck.)

"No idea. It wasn't like that when we got home," Dina said with a shrug.

(Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity fuck.)

"Get your parents to put in a complaint to the council."

(Why does that sound like a threat? Am I imagining it, Diary? Fuck.)

"That's not their responsibility, officers. Good luck with the rest of the students," Dina said, closing the door behind them firmly, and sinking down the back of the door to put her head in her hands.

"Dina? Hey, you okay?" Syd asked, kneeling beside her and reaching out with a trembling hand.

Dina looked up, her pupils huge, and mouth trembling. "You can stop bullets, right?"

"I have no idea. I... I think so? Maybe? I... Why?"

"Oh, just in case I get pulled over some time soon. Let's get out of here before my parents say anything."

"I'll drive," Stan offered, pulling the cat mermaid diary out from his back.

"Where did you stick that?" Syd asked, horrified. "No, I don't want to know."

"Kids, is everything all right? What did the police want, Dina?" her mother called.

"Everything's fine. They're questioning everyone. We're going out for the day. Study group," Dina called back, tugging Syd's hand and ushering her and Stan out the front door before her mother could respond.

"Your mother's going to hate me," Syd muttered once they were squished in the back of Stan's car.

"Nah, don't worry. She'll hate me more," Stan said from the driver's seat, far too cheerfully.

Syd's eyes lit up at the challenge. "You think so? I'm dragging Dina into a life of lesbianism."

"I brought the weed."

"Lying to the cops."

"I illegally downloaded the Ferngully sequel that we watched last night," Stan countered.

"Stealing the security tape."

Dina was laughing by the time they reached the end of the road. "Stop it, guys. You're both bad influences, okay? You're lucky I'm friends with either of you."

"We're friends?" Stan asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Running from the cops last night didn't make that clear?" Dina asked pointedly.

Stan thought about it for a long moment, then grinned. "Cool. So, where are we going? 'Cause while these pyjamas are growing on me, I do have standards when I'm out in public. Sometimes," he amended.

Syd snickered. "You need shoes."

Dina didn't get the joke but she laughed anyway.

"If we're going to get shoes, might as well drop in at your place. Liam wanted an update, right, Kermit?" Stan asked, glancing in the rear view mirror.

(Dear Diary, I have to go home looking like Kermit the Frog. Does that make Dina a princess? Badass princesses are a thing, right?)

"Can we stop to get groceries first?" Syd asked, craving peanut butter fiercely.

"Without shoes?"

"Is it really the worst thing to happen to Brownsville?" Syd asked, rolling her eyes.

"After last night, I doubt it. Your singing set off several stray cats," Stan added quickly as they all remembered Brad's head exploding.

"Toxic Love is basically a strip song," Syd said with a laugh, the sound closer to hysteria than joyous.

"Oh, fucking hell. I'm still not over that song," Dina groaned.

"Batty's rap was terrifying. Or was that because I was high?" Stan mused.

"Both," Dina replied.

Stan snickered and pulled up to the grocery store. Syd slipped out of the car before either one could stop her, not caring about her green outfit or lack of shoes, and determined to complete her mission to buy - and eat - peanut butter in some shape or form. Thinking of Goob was enough to settle her anxiety and the tight feeling under her skin, and Syd bought the peanut butter cups without destroying the store this time.

...

Liam raised an eyebrow at his sister's clothes, his eyebrow raising higher as he saw Dina, and then Stan's clothes. "Did you rob the circus on the way here?"

"No, just the corner store. C'mon, Goob. Not even a hug hello?"

Liam's other eyebrow rose to match. "Will you explain what happened at homecoming? The cops came looking for you this morning after Mum went to work."

Syd let out a small sigh of relief that her mother hadn't been home. "You didn't open the door, did you?"

"Of course not. I'm not an idiot, Syd."

"I know, Goob. Want breakfast?"

"Yes," Stan said instantly. "Oh. You meant Liam. Right, I knew that."

"You should've got something at the store, like I did."

Dina choked suddenly, swallowing hard as she'd remembered the moans Syd had made around mouthfuls of peanut butter and chocolate.

"Ah, are you okay?" Liam asked Dina with a frown.

"Just... need some water. I'm fine," she said, heading to the kitchen with Stan a step behind her.

Syd looked after her and then back to Liam when he 'ahem'ed pointedly. "Sorry, Goob. Um, someone died."

Liam's eyes widened to the point that Syd was truly concerned his eyeballs might fall out of his head. " _ What?! _ "

"Um... yeah. You know Brad?"

"Douche Brad, Dina's ex Brad?" Liam confirmed.

God damn, Syd knew there was a reason she loved her brother.

"Yes. He, uh, tried to kill us with a cherry bomb. But... blew up his own head."

Liam's expression turned neutral as he tilted his head to the side, squinting as if...  _ as if seeing something she couldn't. Was it a power? Did he get powers already? What if he couldn't control them or - _

"I thought he was stupid, but I didn't think he was  _ that  _ stupid," Liam said finally, shaking his head in disappointment.

Syd snorted and gathered him in for a hug. "Love you, Goob."

"It's 'cause I'm awesome," Liam murmured against her shoulder.

"Always."

They were silent for a long moment, listening to the noise from the kitchen as Stan and Dina did whatever they were doing. Liam pulled back to peer at his sister again, that odd expression on his face that made her wonder if he really could see something she couldn't, and she tried to smile. His expression didn't change, so she probably failed at that, too.

"I love you, too. You know that, right?" Liam asked.

Syd's smile faded, surprised by the seriousness in his voice. "Of course." She waited a beat, smiling again, more genuinely this time. "Is it 'cause I'm awesome?"

Liam laughed. "Nah, you're weird. S'okay, though. I like weird. Let's go serve our guests, shall we?" he asked with a pompous air, despite still being dressed in his pyjamas and robe.

She grinned and took his offered arm, heading to the kitchen to find out what her friends were doing.

(Dear Diary, if anything happens to Goob, I'll destroy everything.)

...

End of the fourth chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Shadow was in Syd's room. He was sitting on the end of her bed, looking at the chest of drawers that was still doing a poor job of hiding the giant crack she'd made in the wall. Shadow didn't say anything, just looked at her and then shadowed away. It was obvious he was making a statement: locked windows and doors couldn't keep him out, and her family weren't safe from him, either.

Ringing started, distant and far away for the moment.

"Syd? You coming?" Stan called from the foot of the stairs, seeing her frozen in her bedroom doorway.

The ringing was getting louder.

Syd had to get out. She had to breathe. She had to stop.

The ringing was deafening.

She had to open her mouth and let it out. _That was the only way to stop it. Wasn't it?_ There was another way. Syd was sure of it. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe, could only hear that ringing noise. It had to stop.

"Sydney?" Dina asked, her voice cutting through the noise as she laid a hand between Syd's shoulder blades gently.

The noise stopped.

Syd licked her lips, sweat pooling in awkward places, and she didn't know if she wanted to cry or scream anyway.

"We... we can't leave. He was in here. He was in my room," she said, her words coming out in shorter gasps than her breath. "We can't leave Goob alone, _I can't._ "

Dina swallowed hard, glancing over Syd's shoulder to see the room empty. The terror in her expression was real, though, and she nodded. "Hey, Liam? You wanna come out with us?"

Liam poked his head out of his room instantly, as if to prove Dina's sincerity. "Yes!"

(Dear Diary, why can't I be as smart and calm as Dina? She probably would've beaten Shadow already if she were me.)

"Hey, it's okay, Syd. We're going to get through this together, just like I promised. Okay?"

(Okay.)

"Okay."

"Y'know, what? I'm good in these clothes, and who needs shoes, amirite?" Stan said with a nervous laugh.

"Stan, no. We're going to your house - "

"We've got clothes you can borrow," Liam said simply, dressed in his own clothes, and looking between Syd and Dina, and down to Stan. "Dad wouldn't mind, right?"

(Dear Diary, now even Goob's smarter than me. Well, I knew that already, at least.)

"No, I don't think he'd mind at all. Good idea, Goob," Syd said, reaching out to ruffle his hair as she passed to their parents' room.

"Can I see the selection or is it a surprise?" Stan asked, the relief in his tone obvious even upstairs and through a wall.

"Surprise," Syd called back.

Stan muttered under his breath; he'd already put up with stripes and spots and garish colours, what other fashion crimes would he be subjected to?!

"We're listening to Bloodwitch on the way to wherever we're going!"

...

"Where are we going?" Liam asked once everyone was in the car, looking from Stan to Dina and Syd in the backseat.

"No idea. Let's just drive."

Syd glanced back to the house as Stan pulled away, Bloodwitch pumping through the speakers and the car rattling along with the noise. Shadow was standing in front of the door, watching them leave, and as she looked away, Shadow disappeared.

(Dear Diary, do you think anyone would notice if we just kept driving? We could leave. I should leave. It would protect the others, right? If I left with Shadow, he wouldn't threaten them or hurt them. That's not so selfish, is it?)

Dina's hand squeezed hers gently. Syd looked to her best friend/almost girlfriend, and plastered a fake smile on her face.  "Let's go to the beach."

"In _this_ economy?" Stan asked with a scoff.

"There isn't a beach in Brownsville, anyway," Dina said with disappointment.

"There's a sandpit at the pool," Liam said. "But it's closed; it's nearly winter."

_ Well, there went that idea. _

"I know where we can go," Dina said suddenly. "Turn up here," she said, tapping Stan's shoulder eagerly, leaning forward in her seat, her jumper riding up the small of her back.

(Dear Diary, the peanut butter cups weren't enough.)

Stan drove as directed, ending up at a waterfall that was more of a trickle. "I thought this place had dried up," he mused. "We came here in primary school when there was still water. I'm pretty sure there's still crap left behind from that trip."

"Just shut up and park, Stanley."

"Oh, I see how it is: you're using me for my car," Stan said, grinning as he parked.

"Yep!" Syd said cheerfully.

"Hey, Stan?"

"Yeah?" Stan asked, looking to Liam curiously.

"When are you going down to Mexico?"

Syd's eyes widened at her brother's question and practically shoved Liam to get out of the car, even as Dina laughed her ass off in the backseat behind her.

(Dear Diary, Stan looks like a peacock when he preens. It was a mistake telling him what 'going down to Mexico' meant.)

...

  
  
End of the fifth chapter.

Thanks for reading; I hope you liked it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last five chapters will be posted tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might've destroyed my computer so uploading the last five chapters on my phone. Forgive any formatting/spelling mistakes.

School was awkward on Monday. It always felt awkward, but this time it was extra awkward with a heaping of awkward on the side. Dina was by her side for most of the day, but that probably encouraged the whispers and rumours - Brad was right about her being a lesbian! - and the only good thing was that people avoided her. Well, that, and gym was cancelled since it was technically a crime scene.

The police still hadn't worked out what Brad had done, since there was no evidence of a bomb on what remained of his body, but most kids were adamant he'd blown his own head up and that somehow equated to avoiding Sydney.

The school counsellor looked at Syd, who was sitting across from her desk and looked as anxious as she had the last time when they'd started to discuss the changes her body was going through.

"How do you feel today, Syd?"

"Fine. Great. Uh... not great?" Syd corrected when she saw her expression and realised - oh, yeah - Brad was dead. "It's complicated."

"Of course. Have you been writing down your feelings? And the changes you mentioned last time?"

(No.)

"Yes. It's still private, right?"

"Of course. It is yours, no one else's. Though, I'm sure if we compared your diary with other teenagers, you'd see that it's not just you facing these changes and feelings."

Syd paled at the thought of her diary getting into anyone's hands again. Brad's head exploded in front of her, his blood on her face, his blood in her mouth, copper and salt, and - 

She leaned over and threw up on the floor. Unfortunately, the awful colour of the carpet wasn't even ruined by the addition. In fact, it might've been improved.

(Gross.)

Ms. Cappriotti's eyes widened and she rushed off to get cleaning supplies, leaving Sydney sitting there, her body covered in sweat and shaking.

Ringing started in her ears.

(Dear Diary, no. Not again. Not now. Please.)

Syd struggled to breathe or think. She needed to stop this. She needed to think of Goob or Dina. Hell, even thinking of Stan might help now. But nothing came to mind, just an overwhelming feeling of terror as she remembered Brad reading her diary in front of everyone at homecoming.

_It's pathetic_.

"Ms. - oh. It's you."

Syd looked over to see Jenny Tuffield at the door, looking unimpressed and possibly wary. Syd remembered Jenny taunting Dina and making out with Brad and saying Stanley Barber in that nasal mocking way she had, rolling her eyes like it was a new Olympic sport.

Syd was still having a panic attack. The ringing was getting louder. She was gripping her hands so tight that if she had nails, they would've been embedded in her palms.

She looked at the bookcase behind the counsellor's desk where a stapler was shaking and paper clips were trembling and there was a goddamn snow globe in the back, almost hidden from view. The snow swirled and twirled in a flurry as the water bubbled and boiled inside its shitty glass prison. Hell, on a counsellor's salary, it was probably that cheap synthetic plastic and not even real glass. The snow spun and turned and... it was actually kind of soothing. Like a lava lamp that just kept going round and round and up and down. But this was going in every direction, even pushing against the bubbling flow of the water, and Syd forced herself to watch and concentrate on the snow.

The ringing faded and Syd forced herself to relax her hands. She looked over to the doorway where Jenny was still standing.

"What?" she asked, trying to snap but probably croaking instead.

"When will the counsellor get back? Principal sent me here again. I only wanted to see the gym," Jenny muttered, rolling her eyes.

Syd swallowed hard, licking her chapped lips. "No one cares, Jenny. Not the teachers, not the students, not your parents. The purple streak is _so badass_ though," she sneered, angry and needing to take it out on someone before the ringing started again.

"What the fuck did you say?" Jenny asked, though her face had gone pale, and Syd knew she'd struck a nerve.

"Let me guess: your parents are divorced or on their way to it? They're arguing all the time and they've forgotten all about poor little Jenny, isn't that right?"

Jenny looked like she wanted to stammer something or argue, but they both knew she was right. "Sh-shut up."

"Hey, Jenny?" Syd said, as if she was speaking to her diary. "Go fuck yourself."

Syd grabbed her bag, snatched the snow globe off the bookcase, and left the room before the school counsellor could return. No one stopped her as she walked past classroom after classroom, walked out the doorway, and then kept on walking.

Her skin felt tight, her chest constricted by her breathing, and she kind of hated herself for what she'd said and done to Jenny, but fuck, it felt damn good, too. She didn't have a car and didn't really have anywhere to go, but that didn't stop Syd. She walked around the edge of town to where the train tracks were, kicking stones and waiting for things to crash and crumble. Even though she didn't really have a destination, Syd ended up at the water tower again. It was different in the daylight, far more decrepit than it had seemed at night. She made her way up the stairs, the creaking beneath her feet to do with the structure's age rather than her powers. Sitting on the corner of the landing, Syd looked out across the town in the daylight.

Rolling hills, trees for days, buildings here and there, it looked idyllic from this high up, and she could almost understand why her parents had decided to move here. With her father's anxiety and powers, this picturesque town would have been a calming balm. Nothing happened here, and certainly nothing extraordinary. It would be the perfect place to settle and stop the nightmare of his emotion-fuelled powers. Except, it hadn't worked. He'd killed himself rather than stick around for his wife, for his son, for _her_.

(Dear Diary, I think I've felt this way for months, but I've buried it so deep that I can't get the feelings out without hurting myself more in the process. Is that how emotions work? They hurt you until you're so raw you can't feel anything else. I think... I think I'm angry, but this time around, I know why.

He left me behind.)

The wind was the only noise and the sound of her pounding heart soon overtook the wind, a pulsing beat that seemed to make the trees ebb away and pull towards her. The forest around her flowed in sync with her heart, the beat becoming more erratic as she thought of her father - 

_Hands curved around the steering wheel_ -

_ A smile and relieved breath - _

_ Firm arms around her, as though he couldn't bear to let go -  _

He'd used her as she was using the memory of Liam, to keep calm and sane, and to stop his powers from destroying everything around them.

_In the end, she hadn't been enough_.

_ Maybe one day Liam wouldn't be enough for her either. _

Fear gripped her at the thought and Syd's eyes flew open as she scrambled in her bag to grab the snow globe. She didn't need to shake it, the shitty little pieces of confetti flying around the water trapped in shitty plastic, and...

_ Was that an elf smoking a joint? _

(What the fuck, Diary?)

The elf startled a laugh out of Syd and her heart returned to its normal pace, the trees below calmer as well. There were a few more leaves on the ground than there had been when she'd arrived, but Syd knew people would just blame autumn. She could hear the faint ringing of the school bell, and Syd realised that it was the end of the day. She had to pick Liam up and Dina and Stan were probably worried, so she'd have to let them know she was okay. Standing up, Syd shoved the snow globe back in her bag, and turned to leave.

Shadow was standing a few metres away, just as he had been the night before.

"You don't get a hint, do you?"

"You need control, Sydney Novak."

"I'm getting that on my own, thanks. What I really need is to not be fucking stalked!"

"This town will destroy you. You think they'll accept your powers when they find out what really happened? They'll experiment on you, take you away from your family and brother - "

"You leave Liam out of this!" she snapped, trees bending.

_Snow globe, snow globe, think of the snow globe. Paper falling and swirling and calming. Just breathe. Come on, you've got this_ , she told herself firmly, squeezing her eyes tight.

"Either they survive or you do. There's no other way out of this town, not for people like us, and I'll prove it to you."

Sydney opened her eyes, but Shadow was gone.

(What a goddamn drama queen.)

...

Men's of the sixth chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

"You okay?" Dina asked, hugging Syd tight as she approached the primary school where Goob was waiting, both of them anxious and impatient.

Richard Rynard passed Liam with a sneer, shoving him with his shoulder and giving Syd the finger on his way past.

Her day had frayed her emotions and control, and she squeezed her eyes shut before she gave in to the temptation to bloody his nose. Either with her fist or power, it didn't matter.  _ Fucking prick. _

"What's going on, Syd?" Liam asked, hefting his bag on his shoulder and making his way down the stairs.

"I... needed some air this afternoon."

Liam tilted his head. "How much air?"

"All of it, Goob," she said with a grin.

Liam considered her answer, the obvious relief on Dina's face, and then nodded. "All right. Diner or home?" he asked, looking between them.

"I've got a better idea," Dina said with a grin. "How do you feel about bowling?"

Liam thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "All right. Do you think I can build up muscle that way? I'm going to hit my growth spurt soon," he added, looking over to where Veronica was getting into her parents' car.

"Of course you are, Goob," Syd said. "C'mon, let's go bowling."

...

"Syd! You okay?" Stan asked as soon as he saw her, waving at Dina and promptly ignoring the customer in front of him.

"Why does everyone keep asking you that?" Liam asked curiously.

"Hey, Liam? Want a hotdog?" Dina asked, squeezing Syd's hand gently before turning her attention to her brother.

"You're distracting me with food? I can deal with that. I want mustard and ketchup. Oh, and this isn't over," Liam added, glaring half-heartedly at Sydney.

"I know, Goob. I'll get your shoes, 'kay?"

He nodded and headed to the concession stand with Dina.

Stan hurried to finish serving the now-irate customer, and waved Sydney over. "You 'kay?"

"Fine," she replied shortly. "Uh... Nice work on the patch job. You can barely notice it," Syd added, attempting a smile and probably grimacing instead.

Stan glanced over to the two large bowling ball size holes that had been patched with pieces of paper taped together, then back to Syd, and shrugged. "My boss won't let me turn it into a giant dick."

Sydney snorted. "Gee, I wonder why?"

"I know, right? They always tell you to be creative at work, but then squash any ounce of creativity! Damn shame," Stan said with a dramatic sigh.

"The balls would be lopsided, anyway," Syd said, grinning.

"See, that's just a matter of perspective. You need to look at the balls - uh, hi, Mrs. Callahan. How are you this fine evening?"

Syd kept it together so she wouldn't laugh in his face, though Stan's expression fell when Mrs. Callahan glared at him and just kept walking past. "Mercedes told her about the - " he made a smoking motion here, Sydney laughing outright now, "and she's already told me about Hell, like, four times. It honestly sounds just like Brownsville, but hotter. Like I didn't go to Sunday school with the rest of these brats," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "My mother wanted me to be well-versed in religion before she died. None of it helped when it mattered."

Sydney's eyes widened in surprise. "That was... a lot of information, Mr. Barber. You 'kay?"

"Don't call me that; that's my dad's name. I'm fine. Just... anxious and not enough product, y'know?"

"You've gotta stop sharing your stash."

"But then you'll stop being friends with me," Stan said with wide puppy-dog eyes.

"I haven't even had any today."

Stan pressed a finger to his lips, frowning. "Damn. Where's my weed going then?"

"Grew legs?"

"What grew legs?" Liam asked behind them, shoving a large bite of his hot dog into his mouth and chewing obnoxiously.

"Gross, Goob."

Liam grinned at her, food protruding from his mouth, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Uh, we need shoes. Right. Ready to play?" Syd asked.

Stan handed out the three sizes they needed, watching as they left for a lane, and glancing at the holes in the wall beside him.

"Customers usually have to pay to use these facilities, Stanley. You get their money by the end of the night, or it's getting docked from your pay, understood?"

"Got it. Hey, what about bowling balls instead of a dick?"

His boss looked like she regretted every life decision that had led to this moment, and sighed heavily. "You design it - without the dick - and I'll consider it."

Stan grinned. "Great, thanks!"

...

"What are you doing, Stan?" Syd asked, surprised by the intense expression on his face.

"Drawing."

Syd stood on her toes to look at the paper properly, lowering herself and frowning at him. "It looks like a dick."

"It's two bowling balls and a bowling alley," Stan corrected, looking up at Syd and grinning. "In the shape of a dick," he amended.

She laughed. "Of course."

"You hanging around? We can practice your... thing," he said in a whisper.

Syd shook her head, pink dusting her freckled cheeks. "Mrs. Bryant's offered to take Liam and me home. She's annoyed that I convinced Dina to stay out on a school night, so it's going to be an awkward drive home."

"Pfft. Just wait 'til she hears about the lesbianism thing," Stan tutted, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I know. I don't think Dina wants to say anything. We haven't really talked about it, y'know?" Syd admitted, frowning and stilling the pencils strewn around Stan that trembled in response to her erratic heartbeat.

He ignored it and turned the paper to show her. "Hmm... what do you think of this?"

"The bush gives it away. Why not draw food there instead?" Syd suggested, thinking of the hot dog she'd squashed, Liam laughing at the 'dog's dramatic death all over again.

"Ooh, I can use that. See you tomorrow, yeah?" he asked, deciding to turn the bush into a container of fries instead.

"Yeah, of course, we've got school. See you later, Stan."

"Bloodwitch is dropping a new song tonight; I'll be there by lunch and let you know what it's like," he called, focusing on drawing the individual fries in a suggestive yet not-suggestive way.

Distracted by his design, Stan didn't realise that he'd forgotten to ask for payment until Syd, Liam, and Dina had already left.  _ Well... shit, there went twenty bucks out of his pay. Damn it. He'd have to sell a few more grams than usual to make up for it. _

Finally pleased with his design, Stan put it on his boss' desk, and set about turning off machines and lights in the arcade. Turning off the bowling alley machines, he grabbed the dustpan and broom to start cleaning up the mess of beer cans and trash on the floor. Wincing at the squished chip smeared on the bottom of his shoe, he scraped it off on the step, and swept it into the dustpan along with the rest of the crap he'd swept up. In a small act of defiance, he drew a dick on the corner of one of the papers covering the holes created by the bowling balls.

Movement from the corner of his eyes had Stan looking over to the arcade with a frown. It was dark, but the neon food sign provided enough light that he could see the shape of a person.

"Hello, Stanley Barber," Shadow said.

Stan's eyes widened at the sight of the shadowy person. He couldn't believe his last act on earth was drawing a dick.

...

End of the seventh chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

Syd wasn't too worried when Stan didn't turn up for class in the morning. He'd said he'd be late because of Bloodwitch's new release, after all, and he was probably sleeping so he didn't respond to her text about the pop quiz he'd missed in Mr. File's sex ed. class.

_ He would have appreciated the test, since it required anatomical drawing of genitalia, after all. _

When Stan didn't show up before, during, or after lunch, Syd started to worry. Things moved, lockers and doors opened, and she swore she floated for a few seconds as well.

"Syd, bathroom," Dina said as she stood and rushed out.

"Bathroom," Syd called as she followed after Dina, ignoring the teacher's call behind them.

"What's going on, Syd?" Dina asked once the bathroom door closed behind them.

"What?"

"You're freaking out. Our Bunsen burner's blown out three times; something's going to set on fire if you don't get it out. What's going on?"

"Stan's not at school. He's late some days, but he'd never take a day off and get noticed that way. It'd bring trouble, y'know? What if he's hurt? What if something's wrong?"

Dina frowned at Syd's rush of fast-paced words. "I thought that blood thing was happening?"

"Bloodwitch's release was midnight. He said he'd be here by lunch. It's way past lunch."

"Okay. Let me call him, okay?" Dina said, running her hands over Syd's shoulders gently. She unlocked her phone and navigated to Stan's number, calling him with the press of a button. "Hey, Stan. It's Dina, call me, okay?"

"He wouldn't let his phone go flat, not with his business. He almost kicked me in the face to get to his charger once."

"Okay... Do you have his house number?" Dina asked, Syd shaking her head. "Maybe he's listed. I'll check, you breathe. Deal?"

"Deal." Syd concentrated on her breathing as Dina navigated the internet to find the Barber residence number.

_ Breathe, one, two, three, four. Don't think about Shadow, five, six, seven, eight. Don't think about Stan dead in a ditch - or a bowling alley - somewhere, one, two, three, four. Don't imagine Shadow turning Stan into smoke, five, six, seven, eight. _

"Hello, Mr. Barber?"

Sydney's eyes widened and she shook her head, drawing a finger across her throat. If Mr. Barber found out that Stan was missing from school, he'd definitely be dead.  _ Maybe he was all right and she was overreacting and this was what caused trouble for him? _

"My name's... uh, Sophie. I'm calling from the Parental Society. No, not asking for money. Just have a few questions," Dina said with a smile, her expression morphing into confusion and a small amount of terror as she tried to think on her feet and failed.

"How many kids?" Syd mouthed.

"How many children do you have, Mr. Barber? One, that's great. And... when was the last time you saw your child?" Dina asked, wincing.

(Dear Diary, this is the most unsubtle questioning ever. But fuck, I can't think of anything either.)

"Two days ago? That's... Mr. Barber? Hello?" Dina said, pulling her phone away to look at her phone. "What an asshole; he hung up on me."

"If he hasn't seen Stan, that means he didn't go home last night. He didn't come to my house or yours. We need to find Stan, Dina."

Across from them, the mirrors fractured and smashed.

"I know, sweetheart. Let's go back to class. Follow my lead," Dina said, pressing a firm kiss to Syd's mouth.

(Dear Diary, I can deal with  _ sweetheart _ . Kisses help freeze my brain and calm me. Remind me about that later, Diary.)

Dina wet her face under the faucet, but didn't dry her skin, then left the bathroom with Syd a step behind her. As they approached the science classroom, Dina started to make fake groaning noises that concerned Syd.

"What's going on here?"

"I don't feel so good, sir," Dina said, another groan escaping.

"Go to the nurse's office. Don't puke in the hallway," he called after them.

"I'll help you walk," Syd said, wrapping an arm around Dina's shoulders and helping her struggle down the hall, more groaning noises happening.

As soon as they were around the corner and out of earshot, Dina practically ran for the exit. Syd, who wasn't athletic on a good day, jogged after her and hoped she wouldn't get a stitch in her side.

(Where the hell is Stan, Diary?)

...

Stan groaned, his stomach rolling as he threw up for the third time. There was nothing left in his stomach, but that didn't stop his body from trying to puke anyway. He needed to get out of here, he needed food, he needed water. He needed to listen to Bloodwitch's new song. How long had it been since he'd been kidnapped? Had the reviewers loved or hated the new song? What if it went platinum and he never got to hear it?

Fuck, he was hungry. And thirsty. Oh, did he have to pee, too? Fuck his life.

"Hey, shadowy guy? I need to pee. Come on, man, you're not going to leave me here to piss myself, are you? Kidnapping me is creepy enough already, but bodily fluids just makes this outright weird, dude." Stan almost sighed in relief when he heard a swishing sound of shadow (it was a thing, okay?), and tried to look over his bound torso to Shadow. "Hey, I have to pee!"

Silence met his announcement.

"You're not really leaving me here to piss myself, are you? This is a work uniform; I have to pay to get it laundered, and they're gonna know it's piss, no matter how much I say it's lemonade. Can you just... please."

The ropes around his body didn't budge, and there was another sound of shadows shifting, and Stan was alone.

"Fucking hell. I'm never going to live this down."

...

Dina rang the bowling alley and found out that Stan's car was still there, his boss ranting that he hadn't even finished closing up the alley properly, but had spent a lot of time on his obvious dick and balls drawing.

"That was... informative, but in the wrong way," Dina said, frowning. "Okay. If I were an evil person, where would I take someone prisoner?"

"There isn't an industrial section of town, and if Shadow can go anywhere, Stan could be anywhere in the world," Syd said, sounding frustrated. "And we're stuck on foot," she added, running fingers over her face and digging into her cheeks.

"Not helpful, sweetheart. What about the train station? That old one that's abandoned? You walk by it to get home, don't you?"

Syd remembered the feeling of being watched when she'd walked along the train tracks, swallowed hard, and nodded. "Let's go there."

"All right. I'll do a slow jog. See if you can keep up with me, sweetheart," Dina said with a wink as she started to jog down the street.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

(No, I don't.)

...

"She's coming for you, Stanley Barber. Then the fun will truly begin."

_ Great, Shadow was a villain with shitty and cliché dialogue options. _

"I usually have more fun when my pants are dry. Or my stomach's full. Even hostages get water, y'know? I've seen documentaries," Stan said with as much force as he could muster.

Shadow didn't seem impressed or swayed by his passionate words, simply disappearing without a response.

_ Maybe Syd could develop telepathy? Sort of like a superpower being revealed in people in times of desperation and shit like that. Or maybe he could mentally project something to her? Maybe he had powers! _

Okay, he probably didn't - he'd wished for the same thing over and over since he was eight, and nothing had happened - but Stan was an optimist. In a pessimist's body. Fuck, he was going to die and he couldn't even warn his best friend that this whole thing was a trap.

"It's a trap!" he cried out, his voice hoarse, but still hoping that he'd be heard even though no one had heard him yet.

...

End of the eighth chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

Maggie blinked in confusion as a familiar figure jogged past the diner.  _ Why was Syd out of school? Why on earth was she jogging down the street? She should be in school! Dina was with her, which wasn't any better, really. _

"I'll be right back," she called over her shoulder, leaving before she could be stopped. "Sydney Adelaide Novak!"

(Shit.)

"Hi, Mrs. Novak. We're doing Physical Education and there's a running competition - "

"Don't you dare lie to me, Dina. You're lucky I don't call your parents right this minute," Maggie snapped.

Dina's mouth shut with an audible click and Sydney stepped forward so she was between her mother and her girlfriend. Dina was taller than her so it probably didn't make much difference, but she felt better for it nonetheless.

"What the hell are you doing out of school? Get back there this instant! Why did they even let you out? Did you even turn up today?! How long has this been going on?"

Ever since homecoming, she'd really been trying to be...  _ better _ . She hadn't argued once since homecoming four days ago -  _ for Syd and Maggie, it was a record _ \- and any time she wanted to snap or talk back, Sydney had forced herself to think of the feeling she'd felt when she'd worn her father's dog tags, a dress and makeup foreign on her face, just as foreign as the smile and proud expression on her mother's face. She clutched those same dog tags now - cleaned and polished of Brad's blood, thankfully - and swallowed hard. She hadn't been paying attention to the streets or the fact they were going straight past her mother's workplace.

"Mum! We only just left, okay? It was a stupid idea, and we'll go back right now," Sydney said.

"You'd better, young lady. I have a double shift, so make dinner for your brother, too. And don't even think about doing this again! You're setting a bad example for Liam and you're obviously tainting Dina with your bullshit attitude as well!"

" _ Tainting _ me?" Dina echoed, incredulous and disgusted all at once.

She knew things between Syd and her mother hadn't been great, even before her father had killed himself, but the words she said were practically outright abuse, and she hated the way Syd's shoulders curled in, like she was trying to protect herself from her own mother.

"Dina, let's go. It's better if I don't respond. Please," Syd begged, her voice quiet.

Keeping her anger in check, Syd thought about Liam laughing, about kissing Dina, about the stolen snow globe still stuffed in her bag. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, and nothing happened. Now they just had to leave, loop around and go a different way to find Stan.

"If I find out you've done this before, you'll be grounded for weeks. And don't think I won't tell your parents either, Dina," Maggie snapped.

Any of the happy memories that kept Syd calm fled entirely: thoughts of Liam dimmed, the memory of Dina's lips pressed against hers faded, the snow globe flurries disappeared like they'd never been there to start with.

"Dina had nothing to do with this. It was my fault, not hers," Sydney said, struggling to keep her voice calm.

"She obviously had something to do with it when she's standing right there! Don't lie to me, Syd! I thought you were mature, not acting out like a bratty kid! We moved past that!"

"Because I wore makeup and a dress?" Syd snapped, lamp posts starting to lean towards her, electricity crackling and lights flickering.

"Shit," Dina whispered, all the warning Syd got before she was turned and kissed within an inch of her life.

The lamp posts straightened once more as Syd became focused on Dina and her kiss.

(Dear Diary, I can feel Mum staring at us. I was right: even silent, she annoys the fuck out of me.)

Forcing herself to ignore her mother's stare, Syd kissed Dina back almost desperately, hands curling into her biceps.

"There you go, sweetheart. Better?" Dina murmured as they pulled away, her lips brushing against Syd's.

"Mm-hmm."

"So you're just throwing that in my face now, too?" Maggie said incredulously.

"We're leaving," Syd called without looking back at her mother. If she did, she'd snap.

Dina clutched her hand as they both ran back up the street and towards the school. Taking a right at the end of the street, they ran for the train tracks without stopping. Syd didn't even care about the stitch forming in her side.

...

Stan's voice was barely a croak and his throat was killing him. He didn't have the strength or energy to keep yelling, but he could hear footsteps now. Crying out again - unintelligible words that didn't make sense even to his nonsensical brain - Stan tasted blood in his raw throat.

"Stan? We're coming!"

"It's a trap!" he wheezed, blood flecking his lips.

The doors flung open, crushed by Syd, who was looking murderous despite her diminutive size.  _ Or maybe because of it? He'd seen a meme about that, he was sure of it. _

"Is Stan laughing?" Dina asked Syd in confusion.

"It's... trap," Stan tried again.

They heard him this time, he could see it on the dawning expressions of horror on their faces, both Dina and Syd looking around for Shadow immediately.

A whisper of sound indicated that Shadow was returning, Stan turning his head in the man's direction just as he formed in front of them. Dina's eyes widened in surprise and fear but, to her credit, she didn't run.

"Sydney Novak. Dina Bryant. Welcome. We've been waiting for you."

_ See? Shitty dialogue options _ , Stan thought as hard as he could, but no one looked at him or laughed or even grinned.  _ No super powers then. Damn. _

...

(Dear Diary, we really should have thought of a plan before doing this. Fuck.)

"Stan? You okay?" Dina called out.

"No," he rasped.

"Let him go! It's me you want," Syd said.

"Fight me and win, and you can take him. I won't bother you again," Shadow promised.

"As if we can believe a word you say," Dina scoffed, glaring.

"I am a man of my word."

Sydney had no idea what to do. She hadn't thought beyond 'find Stan' and hadn't truly considered the fact that Shadow would be here, either. She'd brought Dina into danger, and Stan looked like he'd been beaten all over again. His other eye was swollen shut and red, a stark contrast to the purple bruise on his other side, and he was breathing in a way that made her own ribs and lungs ache in sympathy.

"How do I fight you? What are the rules?" Sydney asked, licking her lips and gnawing on the bottom one nervously.

Screaming helped for damage (the crack in the wall, the trees pushed over like blades of grass), but then she'd been quiet when a tiny rock had knocked the sign over and thrown the bowling balls at the wall (at Stan's head because he wouldn't shut up and kept smiling like this was the greatest thing to ever happen to him), and she'd been quieter still when she'd kissed Dina and made things around her float.  _ How many powers did she have? How could she control them all? _ Shadow only had one, or so it seemed, unless stalking counted.

She couldn't control her power, could barely stop her power, but... she had to try. For Stan and Dina and Liam. For herself, she'd try.

"You use your power against me."

Syd frowned, waiting when Shadow didn't say anything else. "Those aren't exactly rules. Or an answer as to how I fight. And you turn into shadow, what do I even do against that?!"

She was stalling and freaking out all at once - and her mother said she couldn't multitask - but Syd had no idea what to do. She wanted to run, to leave Stan tied to that chair, to leave Dina terrified and alone. She could leave town entirely, if not for the fact that Liam was still here.

Ringing started in her ears and it was the only time she had been thankful to hear that building crescendo of noise and feel the pressure against her ribs.

Shadow smiled, like he could hear it too, but Sydney forced herself to ignore him. She wasn't sure how this would end, but she knew she only had one chance to wipe that smug grin off his face.

(Dear Diary, wish me luck.)

Sydney was angry and upset and emotional to the extreme. She looked at Shadow and pictured the library shelves falling down, the feeling of being watched, the fact he knew her brother's name, how he'd kidnapped Stan, and even worse than all of that, his smile reminded her of Brad's smug I can get away with anything look. She was going to explode his head and this time it was going to be on purpose.

Shadow didn't give her a chance.

It was like comparing a newborn foal to a prize-winning thoroughbred race horse.

Every time she tried to hurt Shadow, he blocked it or swirled away.

Every time she tried to lift things at him, he flung them away with hardly a glance or flick of his fingers.

She screamed, he swirled.

She threw, he blocked.

She tried bringing an unstable wall down on him, he was in her face before the first brick hit the floor.

He backhanded her into a wall and Sydney couldn't breathe for a full two seconds. She glared at him, and Dina made a soft noise of concern, even as Syd spat out blood.

"Give up, Sydney, before someone else gets hurt."

_ No. She was going to win. She had to. _

Rocks trembled on the ground and Syd stood up, defiance written across her features as clear as her freckles.

Shadow didn't seem to care either way, turning into smoke even as a barrage of rocks flew at him, sharp and jagged. Something had to hit, something had to work and stop him.

She was so focused on beating him that she didn't even notice Dina making her way around the edge of the room to get to Stan. Shadow moved around and around, Syd throwing out a hand each time to control the rocks to follow him, and missing each time.

(He is strong, Diary, and I don't know how to win against that kind of control.)

Her anger grew with each miss until the windows imploded, glass flying into the room. Syd hurried to stop it from going too far, not wanting to incapacitate herself in the middle of a damn fight.

Shadow finally seemed impressed. Not that she cared about that, of course.

Syd grit her teeth and focused her attention on Shadow once more. She clutched the dog tags against her chest and focused one more time. Rocks and broken glass lifted into the air far easier this time, and the ringing was practically gone now, but she could still do this, wasn't that weird?

In response to what Syd knew was her final attack, Shadow's presence filled the room, darkness blocking out the light entirely. Syd let out a scream as she sent the wall of jagged rocks and broken glass at him. She heard it connect with flesh this time and her hand relaxed around the dog tags, her chest heaving with the effort it had taken. Sweat pooled at her temples, her curls damp against her forehead, and as Shadow shrank down and the world came back into focus, Syd saw what she had done.

Blood spluttered out of his mouth, red staining white skin, and he was gasping for air.

Not Shadow.  _ Stan _ .

Dina had a cut across her cheek, blood pouring heavily, but she had been hidden behind Stan, trying to cut through the ropes. It was nothing compared to the pincushion her friend had become. Glass stuck out of his chest, rocks buried in his ribs, the rope in pieces around him, and his blood tracking down his body and  _ drip-drip-dripping _ onto the dirt beneath him.

"Stan? Stan, holy fuck. Fuck! Help him, you have to help him! Stan," Syd sobbed, across the room in a second, her hands hovering over Stan's body as she tried to work out what to do.

_ There was so much blood. _

(Not as much as homecoming, Diary. Am I sick for noticing that? Probably.)

"I'll call an ambulance," Dina said, her face blank of emotion - the second trauma in under a week would do that to a person, it seemed. Her phone was already in her hand.

"Syd? Sydney, hey... Don't cry," Stan murmured, making shallow gasps that couldn't even be called breaths.

"Stan, I... I'm sorry."

"No. No need... Hey, Syd?" Stan asked, focusing so intently for a second that Syd's hopes were raised.

He had such a pure and perfect moment of clarity so that meant he'd survive this, right?

"Yeah?"

"Do you have Bloodwitch's new song?"

Syd wished she did. She shook her head, tears and snot mingling, even as she laughed incredulously at his question.

"Fuck," Stan gasped, eyes watering and hands listless by his side.

"I'm sorry, Stan. I... I'm sorry."

Stan looked at Syd again - Dina was telling the operator that her friend had been injured and was bleeding out and no, she didn't know how it happened, just get here already! - and he blinked lazily. Then he smiled brilliantly, like he was forgiving her or hearing Bloodwitch's new song in his head, and Syd closed her eyes tight as she sobbed against her sleeve. By the time she opened her eyes again, Stan was no longer breathing.

Shadow reformed beside her and Syd looked up at him, her eyes wide, not sure if she wanted to hit him or run away.

"We have to leave, Sydney. Now."

Sirens blared in the distance.

...

End of the ninth chapter


	10. Chapter 10

The school hosted a double funeral at the end of the week.  _ Both Brad and Stan would have hated it _ , Dina couldn't help but think, even as she was seated in the front row with Ricky, Liam, and Maggie. She didn't know if she was sad or disgusted that Mr. Barber wasn't even attending his own son's funeral, but she wasn't entirely surprised.

Syd had left with Shadow, promising to return for prom. It was eight months away and Dina hoped she'd be here. Her parents were already considering moving away, no one would talk to her at school except - weirdly enough - Jenny Tuffield. She didn't have the purple streak in her hair anymore and while she still owned the leather jacket, it was no longer paired with a rebellious attitude. Apparently Syd said something to her that really stuck, but Jenny refused to tell and Syd's diary didn't mention it, either. Ricky talked to her too, sometimes, but his trauma and guilt were so intertwined that Dina wanted him to talk to Ms. Cappriotti instead of her. Though, she didn't think the school counsellor had done much for Syd, in the end.

The funeral had an open casket for Stan's side and closed for Brad's, yet another aspect she was sure both would hate. Dina listened as the principal and pastor both talked of wasted lives, unlimited potential, and other meaningless platitudes that washed over her.

The school filtered out, most no longer caring about the funerals now that they had the rest of the day off school. Brad's parents were gone before long, Ricky led away by his own parents and still looking shocked at his best friend's demise. Maggie had to return to work, and Dina bit her tongue when she heard the blonde woman muttering about her selfish runaway daughter.

_ If only she knew that Syd had left to protect them all _ . Dina couldn't tell her that, though. She wouldn't believe her in the first place.

"Dina?" Liam asked, head tilted in innocent confusion as she stood up suddenly and made her way to Stan's casket.

She leaned over Stan's body - they did his hair wrong, parted and flat and unnatural in every way - and placed the cat mermaid diary inside the casket before anyone could see. The police were still attempting to find it since enough reports from the dance had mentioned it, and they were staying far too close to her now that Stan was dead and Syd was gone. They suspected her, she could tell in the way they watched her and followed her down streets and had a car patrolling her part of the neighbourhood.

If she could survive the next eight months, she would still be here for Syd.

"Dina?" Liam queried again, looking at her curiously from his place by her shoulder.

"Yeah, Liam?" she asked, glancing at him and surprised to see his growth spurt really was happening; he was at the same height as her shoulder now.

"Did that shadowy guy take Syd away?"

Dina looked at Liam so abruptly her neck cracked. "What?"

"Y'know, the guy who can turn into shadows? He told me about our powers."

" _ Our _ powers?"

Liam looked around, then nodded, and with a small amount of concentration, his nose screwed up in a way that made Dina think of Syd, the lid on Stan's coffin slammed shut.

Dina's eyes widened at the sight and she couldn't help but think of Syd again, the way the objects in her room had floated when they'd kissed. Fuck, she hoped Liam couldn't read minds on top of everything else.

"Is Syd coming back?" Liam asked, his voice vulnerable, and Dina was reminded all too suddenly that he was barely a teenager yet.

"She promised she would. Shadow said not to go looking or he'd kill us all," Dina admitted, her voice hoarse.

Liam considered her response for a moment, then sighed, and clutched at the dog tags around his neck. "I don't know how long I can keep it under control. They'll be back soon, won't they?"

Dina swallowed hard and forced herself to nod. "Yeah, I hope so."

"Will you help me?"

"I can try." Since the response wasn't exactly confidence inspiring, Dina put an arm around Liam's shoulders and hugged him tight. "I promised Syd that I'd look after you, so that's what I'm gonna do, okay?"

Liam nodded. "Let's blow this popsicle stand. Not literally."

Dina's laugh was short, but for the first time in what felt like years, it was genuine and sincere.

(Dear Syd. I'm going to fight to stay, I'll look after Liam, and I'll be waiting for you. Come home soon, Syd.)

...

The end.

Thanks for reading; I hope you liked it!


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